Mortar applicator having a flexible dispensing tube



Sept. 1, 1953 E. N..FLOYD 2,650,743

MORTAR APPLICATOR HAVING A FLEXIBLE DISPENSING TUBE Filed May 27, 1949 IN V EN TOR.

Patented Sept. 1, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MORTAR APPLICATOR HAVING A FLEIHBLE DISPENSING TUBE 2 Claims.

lhis invention relates to means for applying and spreading mortar, cement and the like, and particularly to a mortar applicator.

The main object of my invention is to provide special manually-operated and directed means for applying and/or spreading mortar and cement when erecting masonry, and to minimize the amount of human efiort and mortar material required therefor.

Another object is to provide a manually-held mortar applicator of the indicated character with means for holding a predetermined amount of mortar and for controlling fiow of mortar therefrom at will.

A further object is to have such a mortar applicator provided with means for urging the mortar to flow therefrom with virtually a feeding action.

It is also an object to have a mortar applicator as outlined which is capable of being partly folded up to reduce over-all length for portability and also prevent injury to the control valve or gate of the device.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in further detail as the specification proceeds.

In order to facilitate ready comprehension of this invention for a proper appreciation of the salient features thereof, the invention is illustrated on the accompanying drawing forming part hereof, and in which:

Figure l is a side elevation of a mortar applicator, with parts broken away, made according to my invention and embodying the same in a practical form, the full line showing of the spout indicating its position for discharge of the contents and the dotted line showing of the spout indicating its position when the device is being transported from one place to another;

Figure 2 is a vertical section of the intermedifiexible portion of the device of Figure l, with parts broken away and shown on an enlarged scale with the portions to which it is attached at the upper and lower ends thereof;

Figure 3 is another enlarged elevation of the lower portion of the device of Figure l, as seen from the right in that figure;

Figure 4 is a reduced elevation of the lower portion of the device of Figure 1 showing the flexible tube bent upwardly with handle portion of the operating lever extending through the hook.

In the views the same reference numerals indicate the same or like parts.

In the building art, and particularly referring to the erection of masonry, it is usual to provide supplies of mortar in piles upon mortar boards accessible to the masons erecting a wall, so that trowel portions of the mortar are taken from time to time from the mortar thus applied by the masons at the wall.

It is the ancient and generally current practice for the mason to apply the mortar in trowel quantities to the masonry under construction, necessitating for each such trowel application his walking to the nearest placed mortar board for his supply, and then as often returning to that part of the wall under construction to deposit the same. The device herewith submitted attempts to eliminate this constant duplication of effort by placing in the hands of the mason or operator an amount of mortar easily carried and disposed of in construction. However the arrangements may be, it appears unavoidable that at least one-fourth of the mortar is wasted in the process of laying the mortar or spreading it for laying bricks, blocks or other building elements therein. On the other hand, when hollow tiles are used of various dimensions the wall thicknesses of such units vary and greatly increase the labor in spreading the mortar on the thin walls thereof, and in fact the increase of wastage of mortar is so great that practically two-thirds is wasted by falling at the sides, or even inside the hollow portions of such tiles, so that not only the materials of which the mortar is composed, but the time and labor consumed in producing it are largely wasted.

Upon considering this problem, it has occurred to me that means should be available for spreading mortar in a far more economical and convenient manner to save labor, time and mortar when spreading the latter.

As a result, I have succeeded in producing a special device for applying mortar to bricks, building blocks, tiles and the like, as will now be more fully set forth.

Hence, in the practice of my invention, and referring again to the drawing, a manually-held hopper l, which is open at the top, is substantially frusto-conical with the smaller end directed downward, and is provided with a bail 5 pivotally connected by rivets or short bolts 6 to the opposite sides of hopper i at the upper end thereof. Below the upper open end 7 upon one side intermediate the sides to which the bail is attached is secured a hand grip 8 by means of rivets 9, 9 or the like, while upon the same side a distance downwardly from the hand grip is fixed a horizontally-disposed hook it for a purpose which will presently be described.

At the lower end ll of hopper 4 is a short bead l3 thereof, the latter prevents the upper end l8 from slipping off the mentioned cylindrical lower portion of the hopper.

The depending hollow cylindrical diaphragm l4 may be made of fabric, flexible plastic, natural or artificial rubber, such -as Koroseal or neoprene, and the like, so that it will be not merely flexible, but more or less elastic in addition. The lower end H! of hollow diaphragm I4 is clamped upon the upper hollow cylindrical end of a dispensing spout 2| by means of a second clamping strap 22 immediately beneath the upper external bead 23 'on the spout, the ends '24 of the strap being retained together by a screw or bolt 25, so that the spout 2| is prevented from slipping out from within the lower end. I9 of the mentioned cylindrical diaphragm M. The upper end 26 of the spout member 2| is larger than the lower end 21, the spout member being substantially frusto-conical with the 'lower end cut obliquely to form a delivery opening. Upon the intermediate portion of one side'of the deliver-y spout 2| a gate valve 3| is mounted for rocking movement about an axis or pivot 'member 29, which is transverse of the'spout, into and out of bridging relation with respect to the lower end 21- of the spout 2|. Specifically, on one side of the delivery spout 2| are mounted a pair of lugs 23, 28 through which extends a pivot member 29 upon which is pivotally -mounted a lever 39 integral with a delivery valve or gate member 3| which is substantially. rectangular and disposed at an angle to "lever '30, while upon the upper end of the latter isl'formed a handle 32 by which to pivot leverabout pivot member 29 in order to open'or close the lower delivery opening 33 at the lower end 21 of the delivery spout 2|. In

order. to bias the disc-shaped gate or closure outwardly in a reverse direction, as at 40. Thus the handle 36 andthe lever 32 provide a more comfortable and secure grasp on or support for the spout 2|, this affording greater ease of operation of, the lever 32 and the gate valve 3|. For example, the operator maygrasp the curved part of the lever 32 with four fingers and insert his thumb under'the curved part 39 while manipulating thegatevalve 3| by merely bringing the lever 32 closer to the handle 38,.

When the deviceis to be used by a mason or other artisan, mortar is introduced into the upper open end Inf-hopper 4, while thehopper is held by hand and the lower spout member 2| given a slight circular motion about a vertical axis so as to flex the hollow diaphragm l4 in various directions, so that the mortar will descend to the bottom of the spout and fill the diaphragm, and at least partly fill the hopper as well. Then, when the requisite amount of mortar has been introduced, the spout 2| is bent upwardly into the position indicated in Figure 4 and the freehandle portion 32 of the operating lever 30 introduced from above within the hook I, when the diaphragm M will be folded upwardly and the entire device will be sufficiently reducedin vertical length to allow the same to be carried readily without dragging the spout 2| or causing the valve or gate closure 3| thereof to make accidental contact with any objects and perhaps be, damaged thereby. The bail 5 serves to carry the device to the point at which it is to be used. Of course, if desired, handle 32 may be provided with a hook to engage the hook It, or the latter may be modified to form a pair of opposed hooks or springs adapted to engage with handle 32 ifdesired, the main point being that book ||l serves in some manner to hold handle 32 and thereby retain dispensing spout 2| in raised position while the device is carried to the point o fuse. I

When the present applicator is to be used, handle portion 32 of the operating lever 30 is first disengaged from hook l0 so that dispensing spout 2| extends downwardly, as indicated in full lines in Figure 1, the bail 5 being held in the hand or supported on forearm and spout 2| being held in close proximit to the work surface upon whichthemotor is to be deposited, when the other hand is used to grip the spout and give the samea twisting or circular movement with the'fingers pressing handle portion 32 to open valve 3|, when it will be found that mortar will issue and be laid 'upon the brick work or othersur'face to be covered with the mortar, as long as valve member 3| remains open. The twisting movement given to the spout will cause flexure or hollow diaphragm M in various directions and produce a'downward feedingmovement of themortar which is readily controlled by the amount of movement imparted to the spout, as well as the degree of opening of valvemember '3| provided by pressure upon handle portion 32 reward the spout. Due to the fact that the mortar is largely protected from the air and. also, as it were, constantly kneaded and kept in motion by the circular twisting movement given. to the spout and actually imparted to the mortar by the 'flexing movements of diaphragm '|'4, the mortar is prevented from setting, andremains in a plastic condition until actually applied, and thus, also, readily flows in well-regulated manner from the lower opening 33 of spout 2|, asregulated by the valve 3|. The rectangularly shaped gate valve 3| may be manipulated insucha manner as to give a troweling or spreading action to any excessive amount of mortar that might have escaped from the spout 2|. This troweling action is brought about by simply lowering the edge 'of, the gate valve 3| so that the same maybe drawn along and in contact with the excessive mortar.

Manife's'tly, variations may be resorted to and parts and features may be modified or used without others within the scope of the appended claims. v

Having now fully described my invention, I claim: t

1 A portable mortar applicator comprising an upstanding rigid hopper having'a cylindrical portion on the lower end, a bead surrounding said portion adjacent the free end of the latter, means on the upper end of said hopper for dependingly supporting the same from a hand of a user, a hook projecting exteriorly of said hopper above and spaced from the lower end thereof, a tube fabricated of flexible material positioned below said hopper and having the portion adjacent one end surroundingly engaging said bead and embracingly secured to the cylindrical portion of said hopper, a rigid spout positioned below and having one end in alignment with the other end of said tube, a second bead surrounding said spout adjacent said one end thereof, the portion adjacent said one end of said spout extending into the other end of said tube, means surrounding a portion of said tube below said spout bead and embracingly secured to said tube, said tube being bendable intermediate its ends to thereby permit the shifting of the spout and the lower end portion of said tube from its depending position with respect to said hopper to an elevated position with respect to the latter, a lever arranged exteriorly and longitudinally of said spout and on the same side of said hook and having on the lower end a gate member bridging the other end of said spout, said lever being mounted on said spout intermediate its ends for rocking movement about an axis transverse of said spout to thereby shift the gate member into and out of bridging relation with respect to the other end of said spout, and a handle projecting from the upper end of said lever for effecting the rocking movement of the latter, said handle being supported in said hook when said spout and lower end portion of said flexible tube have been shifted to the elevated position with respect to said hopper.

2. A portable mortar applicator comprising an upstanding rigid hopper having a cylindrical portion on the lower end, a bead surrounding said portion adjacent the free end of the latter, means on the upper end of said hopper for dependingly supporting the same from a hand of a user, a tube fabricated of flexible material positioned below said hopper and having the portion adjacent one end surroundingly engaging said bead, a strap positioned exteriorly of and embracing the portion of said tube adjacent said one end above said head for securing said tube to said hopper, a rigid spout positioned below and having one end in alignment with the other end of said tube, a second bead surrounding said spout adjacent said one end thereof, the portion adjacent said one end of said spout extending into the other end of said tube, a second clamping strap positioned exteriorly of the portion of said tube below said spout bead and embracingly secured to said tube for securing said spout to said tube, a hook projecting exteriorly of said hopper above and spaced from the lower end thereof, said tube being bendable intermediate its ends to thereby permit the shifting of the spout and the lower end portion of said tube from its depending position with respect to said hopper to an elevated position with respect to the latter, a lever arranged exteriorly and longitudinally of said spout and on the same side of said hook and having on the lower end a gate member bridging the other end of said spout, said lever being mounted on said spout intermediate its ends for rocking movement about an axis transverse of said spout to thereby shift the gate member into and out of bridging relation with respect to the other end of said spout, and a handle projecting from the upper end of said lever for effecting the rocking movement of the latter, said handle being supported in said hook when said spout and lower end portion of said flexible tube have been shifted to the elevated position with respect to said hopper.

EARLE N. FLOYD.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 212,483 McLean Feb. 18, 1879 446,809 Bonbrake Feb. 17, 1891 1,764,642 Polk et a1 June 17, 1930 1,898,416 Wiseman Feb. 21, 1933 2,043,318 Conley June 9, 1936 2,239,464 Moger Apr. 22, 1941 

